Greetings From East Mt. Airy Neighbors!

Like the rest of the City, we’re waiting to see what sort of weekend weather we get….. more accurately, just how bad it will be. Predictions about the track of the storm still vary a little bit, but all of the forecasters predict we’ll get a lot of snow, (12-18″?). ReadyPhiladelphia sent a message warning of heavy snow, starting Friday evening & perhaps continuing into early Sunday. They texted this morning, updating that to a “blizzard watch”, because of expected high winds.
Snowstorms can be a reflection of the neighborliness of our community.
Do you have a neighbor who’s unable to get to a food market on her/his own, to lay in supplies? You could provide a ride or offer to pick up a few things for them.
Please help with clearing snow from sidewalks, if age or physical conditions make that difficult for a neighbor. Philadelphia ordinances require sidewalks to be clear within 6 hours of the end of precipitation. Aside from the fact that clear paths for pedestrians make everyone safer, you can get hit with a hefty fine if you don’t shovel a path. Regulations require that it be 36″ wide, (unless, of course, your sidewalk’s narrower than that).
If you don’t have a neighbor to help with shoveling & are physically unable to do so because of a medical condition, consider paying someone to do it, if that’s feasible. Paying someone to shovel is way less expensive than a trip to the emergency room. If you are age 55+, My Way can help you arrange something. Call 215-525-5470, or visitwww.mywayonline.orgIf Friday is your regular trash collection day, (which would have been postponed this week till Saturday because of the MLK holiday on Monday), the City is asking that you hold your trash/recycling till next week. The trucks will be in use on Saturday for plowing.
Just because your pets have fur does not mean they will be comfortable or safe outdoors for an extended period of time. Bring your animals indoors to protect them from illness & injury.
Please remember that if your car is parked on a Snow EmergencyRoute, it will be towed.If you lose electricity because of the storm, call PECO at 1-800-841-4141 to report the outage. It’s a good idea to have a few flashlights or lanterns, & extra batteries, just in case. Candles can be a dangerous solution to this problem.
You can get more detailed info about storm preparation & related matters at the City’s website: www.phila.gov As always, in case of a medical or safety emergency, call 911. Events & activities in the community (& throughout the region) are being cancelled in advance of the storm, so if you’ve got something on your calendar, check to make sure it’s still happening.

TreeCycling Was a Success!
Our thanks to all the folks who brought their Christmas trees to Gabbie’s Garden for recycling…….we saved 125 trees from becoming landfill, & many people told us how valuable this program is to them (& to the environment).
It was a warm day, which may have been weird, but it did allow people to stay & chat for a while ……. a pleasant change from usual. And it’s always fun to see the little children’s excitement watching the chipper. We got rained on for a short time, but were rewarded with a big, beautiful rainbow, which only lasted for a few minutes, but was wonderful!
Thanks to the participants who not only made the suggested $5 per tree donation, but gave us more. Their generosity makes this event possible, covering the expense of the chipper & the crew. (Thanks, Bartlett Tree Service!) And we only had a few early drop-offs this year!
And thank you to our wonderful volunteers, who will be embarrassed if I name them, but they know who they are………. And to our partners at Mt. Airy USA, Awbury Arboretum & Weavers Way Co-op for helping publicize the event!

Don’t Panic….
The U.S. Treasury Department will not call you to execute a criminal complaint against you.
The IRS never uses phone contact to collect real or imaginary taxes owed.
These are scams, & you should hang up. Even better, report the call(s) to the State Attorney General’s office.
DO NOT give personal information to these callers, no matter how official they sound, or how threatening they are. The real government offices will NOT call to suggest you make your supposedly-delinquent payment over the phone. DO NOT give credit card or bank information to any caller.

Other Safety Suggestions………..
Our friend Officer Davis at the 14th has reported multiple robberies of women waiting alone at SEPTA bus stops in the early morning. If you can travel with a friend or colleague, or in a group, you’re less likely to be victimized.
We’ve gotten reports from residents who’ve noticed strangers on their blocks, looking into parked cars. As you know, property crimes are a problem in Mt. Airy, so if you see something like this & have a bad feeling about it, call 911.

EMAN’s next regularly-scheduled Community/Board meeting will take place on Monday, February 1st, in the Lovett Library community room. The Board meets in executive session at 7 PM & the community is invited to join us at 7:30. We’d love to meet you, so stop by.

We’d also love to have you become a paid member of EMAN. We’ve kept our dues low, & that money allows us to continue our work in the neighborhood. You can join at our website:http://www.eastmountairy.org/